


Draconian Pilot of Izzet

by DarkscytheDrake



Category: Magic: The Gathering (Card Game), Neon Genesis Evangelion
Genre: Action/Adventure, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Drama, F/M, Fantasy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-28 07:22:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20774735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkscytheDrake/pseuds/DarkscytheDrake
Summary: Shattered after nearly killing Asuka, Shinji's pain awakens something in his soul and sends him to Ravnica. Now part of the Izzet Guild and student of Niv-Mizzet, he will have to face the many dangers of the multiverse, gaining knowledge, friends, and maybe something more... You don't need to know MTG to read; all will be explained here.





	1. Arrival

** Draconian Pilot of Izzet **

** An Evangelion x Magic: The Gathering Crossover **

**By Darkscythe Drake**

**Hi guys! I’ve decided to take up one of my challenges! I hope I do well!**

**If you want to make your own version of the story, you can PM me. After all, the multiverse is vast…**

**NOTE: The M:tG storyline is a bit sketchy on some details, so expect some OOCness and headcanons from that side. But I will try my best!**

**NOTE 2: This takes place in a fusion of the Rebuild and original universe. Gaghiel doesn’t exist and Asuka appeared when “Clockiel” struck. Mari appeared shortly after “Tunniel” and the Angels 7-13 all appeared, with Leliel the 12th Angel taking Asuka and 13 being Bardiel who possesses Asuka’s Eva. Again, my attempt.**

**I own nothing except my OC’s.**

**Read and Review! Constructive criticism is welcome! BETA NEEDED!**

** Chapter 1 – Arrival **

There is a question, passed down through the ages.

Differently worded sometimes, but the meaning remains the same.

“Are we alone?”

Mankind is a social species. As much as they bicker with one another, they desire companionship more than anything else.

That is the reason why societies are formed, why friendship is made, why love is shared.

Man hates being alone, more than anything else.

But even the company of one’s own species can sometimes lose its luster. Combined with his lust for knowledge, man looks to the stars and asks himself:

“Are we alone? Is anyone out there?”

However, one must be careful for what they wish for, as it might just come true.

In the year 2015, on a ruined Planet Earth, man received the answer.

They were (NOT) alone.

They came from the skies, from the deep seas, bearing unearthly shapes and gigantic sizes.

Monsters, dubbed “Angels” all with one goal:

To wipe humanity from the face of the Earth.

To prevent that, humanity created monsters of their own. “Evangelions” or “EVA Units”. Colossal machines designed to destroy the invaders and bring salvation to humanity. Truly a godsend to some, but for a select few, it was just as bad as the monsters.

Such is the case with one Shinji Ikari.

Abandoned at a young age by his father only to be summoned many years later, forced to pilot the EVA and fight the Angels that threatened to kill them off. A very meek and weak-willed child, but with strong resolve.

Despite his weaknesses, he has endured many trials alongside his pilot allies. He had suffered, yet stood triumphant.

But just as water slowly wears away on rock, suffering slowly wears away on the soul, until it finally gets crushed or worn away.

However, there are very rare times, when as a result of said suffering, that soul becomes unbound…

**-DPoI-**

Shinji Ikari was tired.

He was tired of many things, tired of his duty, tired of the EVA, tired of the suffering he was forced to endure.

Even his motto of “I mustn’t run away!” started to falter. If it meant escaping this, a small part of him just wished to run away.

Right now, he was tired of fighting.

An Angel had taken over the red EVA – Unit-02 – of his fellow pilot, Asuka Langley Soryu and was controlling it. Afraid of hurting her in the process, Shinji refused to injure her Eva, despite his father’s command.

He didn’t care if he was the Commander of NERV, Shinji would not kill her.

His fellow pilots, Rei Ayanami and Mari Makinami had been knocked out in their own EVAs after failing to subdue the rogue one. Essentialy, he was all alone.

He sat in the darkness of his purple-clad EVA’s – Unit-01 – entry plug as he tried to think of something, anything to help out Asuka.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get the chance.

The plug lit up in a dark-red glow, his seat shifting in an unusual way. In of him a message appeared, in big green letters:

“Dummy Plug System – Golgotha Base”

He didn’t know what that meant, but before he could try and ask someone back at base, he felt the Eva move. He tried moving his hands, but they were locked onto the control sticks.

The screen in front of his showed the corrupted Unit-02 pinning his EVA down. He saw Unit-01’s arms move from the ground and push the other EVA away. Then, it struck.

It wrapped its hands around the corrupted mecha’s neck, trying to choke it. It lifted it from the ground and body slammed it back down. Unit-01’s mouth tore open and bit out a chunk of Unit-02’s flesh, all the while dragging its head across the earth.

It slammed its fist on the red mecha again and again, pummeling it and breaking its armor. All the while, Shinji tried to make his rampaging robot stop.

“Father…what are you doing? Please stop this…”

But his cries failed to reach, because Unit-01 bit into Unit-02’s neck and ripped out the Asuka’s entry plug, holding it by the teeth.

“Please stop…please stop…I’m begging you please stop!”

He watched as the purple-clad behemoth held the entry plug in its teeth and tightened the hold it had. His eyes widened in horror as he desperately tried to force his EVA to let go, but he couldn’t make it budge.

“No, no, no, nononono…”

The EVA bit down harder…and harder…and harder…the cracking of the plug was heard audibly over the speakers.

“Please no…”

It pushed down…and the plug shattered, leaking the blood-like LCL.

“NOOOOO!!!”

The remnants of the plug fell down to earth as Unit-01 stood solitary against the sunset, looming over the landscape like a horrifying statue.

All the while, Shinji sat horrified in his plug, his fragile mind unable to truly digest what had happened. Then, a dark voice reverberated throughout the plug. The voice of Gendo Ikari, his _father_:

“Target eliminated. Angel has been neutralized. Return to base at once.”

At hearing that voice, something inside Shinji Ikari’s mind _snapped_. Hearing his father’s voice made him recall everything that he had endured through, everything that he had suffered through in this infernal, abominable machine.

Not just on the battlefield either. The constant belittling of Asuka, the pressure from NERV, his abandonment, years of loneliness and feeling of worthlessness all came to the front of his mind.

All thanks to his _father._

His mind snapped, and an anguished cry rose from the very depths of his soul.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!”

At that moment, something inside the boy’s soul broke. It was as though his cry had reached the farthest corners of the earth, begging for relief, begging for the pain and suffering to end.

_‘I can’t…’_

_‘I don’t want to fight anymore…’_

_‘Make it stop…’_

_‘I…’_

_‘I…’_

_‘I want to run AWAY!!!!!’_

In that moment, whatever had been broken inside him gave way to an unrestrained wave of…_something_. It rushed through his body, coursed through his veins and enveloped his being.

If one was to look at Shinji from the outside, which was what everyone at NERV Base was doing, they would see a pale, water-like aura rippling around him as he screamed.

The aura grew brighter and brighter until it nearly blinded them.

“What’s happening!?”

“Unknown power fluctuations originating from the Entry Plug! Wavelength unknown!”

“Systems malfunctioning! We can’t get to – “

Suddenly, a loud BANG! and WHOOSH! were heard as they all saw the aura – and the pilot – disappear from the plug, leaving an empty cockpit inside.

Gendo and Kozo Fuyutsuki – Sub-Commander of NERV – looked in shock as the unexplained phenomenon occurred. When everything had settled, Gendo had one thing to say:

“This…was **not** in the Scenario.”

All Fuyutsuki could do was nod.

**-DPoI-**

In regards to the question asked before, while man did discover they were not alone, they had failed to realize something.

They were NEVER alone.

Just not how they would like it.

While they were few in this universe, out there – in a sea of never-ending universes, a multiverse – life was teeming. Some human, some not. Some kind, some dangerous. Yet mostly unaware of one another.

As a writer once had written in a book of his:

“Imagine you’re a fish, swimming in a pond. You can move forward and back, side to side, but never up out of the water. If someone were standing beside the pond, watching you, you’d have no idea they were there. To you, that little pond is an entire universe. Now imagine that someone reaches down and lifts you out of the pond. You see that what you thought was the entire world is only a small pool. You see other ponds. Trees. The sky above. You realize you’re a part of a much larger and more mysterious reality than you had ever dreamed of.” _(Blake Crouch)_

This was what had just happened to Shinji Ikari. The cry of his soul awakened something within him, a **spark **that shattered the veil between realms and flung him through the void.

He felt as though a storm was pounding away at his body. As though he was flying through an endless sky, swimming through a bottomless ocean. His vision was filled with bright lights and swirling clouds. As he was sent flying, he felt himself…change.

It was like he was being stretched, pressed and pulled on every inch of his body. It was unlike anything he had felt before, then again, he had never felt anything like all _this _before.

He had managed to focus his sight a little bit more when he saw a bright light on the horizon. Steadily, it grew bigger and bigger. In his befuddled and utterly dazed state, Shinji managed to grasp one thing:

He was hurtling towards it.

But before he could do anything, the light flooded his sight and he felt himself hit something hard.

Then, there was darkness.

**-DPoI-**

Trivaz grumbled as she walked through the bustling streets. The sheer indignity of the situation nearly made her lose control. Ok, so she had blown up things a little more this time around, but how was she to know that was a nearly irreplaceable prototype? Now she was stuck hauling these spare parts back to the guild where they would probably be destroyed soon after they were used.

At least that thing was **_near_** irreplaceable_. _Otherwise, there was no telling what the guild-master might do to her.

She saw the familiar spires of the guildhall when she saw a flash from the corner of her eye and heard a thump from a nearby alley. She was about to just shrug and leave when something poked at the back of her mind.

Not anything mystical in nature, but that curious feeling that she would get whenever something exciting was around.

She took a chance and entered the alley, setting down the parts along the way. What she saw made her jaw drop in shock.

A form was lying face down on the ground, with pieces of strange cloth lying ripping around it. But as she got closer, her eyes widened even more at what she now clearly saw.

_‘This…this is unbelievable! I thought that the guild-master said that he was the last one! How can there be another one?’ _

Trivez heard it groaning a bit, a sign that it was alive. Good. Being the curious person that she was, she tried to see into his mind, but ejected herself as soon as she entered.

So. Much. Pain. So much suffering…what…?

She tried looking again, this time a little more carefully, but she could barely see into his (knowing for some reason it was a male) mind. It was as though an impenetrable fog surrounded it, blocking all influence.

She tried to skirt around the ‘fog’ seeing if there was any opening. As she searched though, she began to feel something familiar, something she had felt in this city several times before. Could it be, a…?

This was too big of an opportunity to pass up. Forgetting about the spare parts, she hauled him over her should with a little bit of telekinesis for extra support and headed back to the guild. All the while one thought going through her head:

_‘Things are going to get a whole lot more interesting around here…’_

**-DPoI-**

**What do you think?**

**Read and Review! Review! REEEEEEEEEVVVVVIIIIIIEEEEEEWWWWWWW!**

**Custom card of the Chapter**

**Name: **Unexpected Find

**Mana cost:** 1U

**Types: **Sorcery

**Card text: **Return target red or blue creature with toughness 1 or less from your graveyard to your hand.

**Flavor text: ** _“ ‘Well, either Simic has gotten negligent, or something interesting is happening!’ – Trivaz, Izzet Guildmage”_


	2. Niv-Mizzet

**I own nothing except my OC’s.**

**Read and Review! Constructive criticism is welcome! BETA NEEDED!**

“Speech”

_‘thought’_

**“Spells/attacks”**

** _‘mind-speech’_ **

** Chapter 2 – Niv-Mizzet **

_“If you are going to pilot, do it now. If not, then leave!”_

_“You had your orders, Shinji! Why didn’t you retreat?”_

_“The target has been reclassified as the 13th Angel. Eliminate immediately.”_

_No…_

_No…_

_No…_

_STOOOOP!!_

“AAAAAAUUUGGHH!!!”

Shinji shot up as he screamed. His eyes opened and his breathing was hard. He may have been dazed, but he could still remember what had happened prior.

_‘Father…damn you. You really are a heartless monster.’_

He managed to calm himself down a little when he noticed something unfamiliar. The room he was in, it was not NERV’s hospital. The bed didn’t feel like the ones from there either.

He was in a small room, with a desk to his right and a door opposite it. Above the desk were several small shelves, all holding books. The room was colored red, blue and gold, a rather unusual color scheme. He gazed up and saw that the ceiling was made of stone, painted in red and blue patterns.

“I would say ‘an unfamiliar ceiling’ now, but it doesn’t feel right since I didn’t see it first” he muttered groggily. He kept looking around the room, looking for a clue that would tell him where he was.

“Where am I? This doesn’t look like NERV.”

The door then swung open, drawing Shinji’s attention to it. Standing there was a woman with long black hair and bronze-colored goggles over her eyes. She wore red and blue armor and had an odd-looking device attached to her back.

She looked at him and tilted her head, but didn’t budge from her spot. Shinji tried to say something, but the only thing that could come out of his mouth was: “H-hello?”

The woman’s head perked up and she let out a small grin.

“Oh good, you can understand me! Just like the master said you would! You’re alive too! Thank goodness!”

She rushed over to him and began looking all over his body, poking and prodding various spots on it. He was about to let out a squeak of protest when he realized something.

_Wait, my body…_

Whenever she poked at him, he could barely feel it. It was as though something was coating his body, and Shinji was sure that it wasn’t his plugsuit.

He slowly looked down at his hands and his eyes widened. Instead of normal human hands, they were rough-looking, covered in red scales, _and were those claws!?_

His eyes trailed to his arms who were, just like his hands, covered in red scales. Twisting them, he saw that the scales on his arms’ undersides were paler, a yellowish-white color. He ran his hands along them and felt that they were smoother too.

His eyes widening by the second, he turned to the woman slowly to try and ask her what had happened. But his heart seemed to pause at what he saw.

A red-scaled chest against a yellowish-white belly, covered by a grey shirt.

Two large red wings with white membrane folded against the back.

A red tail with black spikes drooping from the bed and onto the floor.

Finally, a red lizard-like snout, crowned with short black spikes. Blue, silted eyes gazed back at him, widening as he did. As he opened his mouth, a jaw filled with white razor-sharp teeth opened as well.

Shinji may have seen a lot of weird stuff over the past few months, but that took the cake for him.

He raised his clawed hand and touched his face, only to see the…thing in front of him do the same thing, exactly in fact. Looking a little to the side, he realized just at what he was looking; his own reflection.

He let out a low whimper. “W-w-w-what…”

The mirror suddenly vanished, making him blink. Still shocked by what he had seen, he quickly turned to the woman, who had stopped prodding him and had adopted a calmer look.

“Are you alright? From the looks of things, you didn’t expect to see that did you?”

Shinji dumbly nodded. “Well, that means you were something else before you came here. I found you like this. So, what were you?”

_‘Found me like this? I remember what happened with the EVAs, then a lot of pain, and then nothing. Did the EVA do something to me?’ _

He had managed to regain some measure of cognitive function so he answered her. “Human. I was a human.”

The woman cocked her head to the side. “Human? Makes some sense. The clothes I found on you – they’re long gone, by the way – were human ones, if a little weird. So, feeling better now?”

Feeling better? After nearly killing a friend and finding out he was some lizard-thing, Shinji didn’t think that ‘better’ could fit what he felt. Although he did feel calmer for some reason now…

“Yeah, a little bit” he took another look at the room and back at the woman. “Who are you anyway? Where am I?”

“Oh, didn’t I say so before? Sorry, I get distracted a lot. My name’s Trivaz – genius inventor and technomage at your service – and we are in Nivix!” She said with an excited tone.

“Nivix? What’s that?”

“That’s my home and my guild-hall!”

“Guild-hall?”

“Ooh!” Trivaz quickly put her hand to her lips. “Sorry, but I can’t tell you more. Don’t worry though! We’re going to see the guild-master!”

“Guild-master?” Shinji asked with a confused tone. She let out a bark of laughter.

“You sure have a lot of questions, do ya? Like I said, don’t worry! The guild-master will have answers to anything you ask!”

A folded shirt and pair of pants suddenly plopped on his bed, much to his ever-increasing confusion. “Put those on and meet me out the door. We can’t have you meeting the master like that!” With those words, she walked out the door and slammed it shut.

Shinji blinking and stared at the clothes that appeared from seemingly nowhere. _‘This is getting insane. Clothes appearing out of nowhere? Did I hit my head or something?’_ He pinched his nose and got a flare of pain in response.

_‘Nope, not dreaming. That means I’m not at NERV anymore.’ _His thoughts wandered from there to Misato, Mari, Rei, Asuka, his friends at Tokyo-3_._ He felt a pang of guilt in his heart. What about the Angels? What about…

A loud knocking distracted him from his thoughts. “Hey, you ready yet?” asked Trivaz.

“One moment!” he flipped open the covers. His legs had grown the same red scales like on the rest of his body and his toes had claws now. His eyes turned to the tail that protruded from his behind. How was he going to fit that?

He took a look at the now unfolded pants and saw that there was a large opening in their rear section, undoubtedly made for the tail.

He put on the pants with little resistance, much to his surprise, and put on the shirt. It was more like a trench coat though, white with red and blue markings and with the chest area exposed. The back of the coat was loose enough to allow his wings to protrude through with no interruptions. As such, the sleeves were nearly nonexistent, only covering the shoulders.

He walked out the door with surprising ease, not stumbling even once and saw Trivaz waiting for him.

“You ready? Follow me”

She turned around and walked the stone hallway with Shinji following her closely. As he did, he looked at the arches that decorated the ceiling and the banners that adorned the sides of the hall. All of the Were a pale golden color, with a strange emblem at the center.

She led him out the hallway and down a long, winding flight of stairs. They came to another door and when she opened it, Shinji’s eyes were greeted to the sight of a huge chamber, adorned by a holed-out dome. Marble pillars stood tall, adorned with large banners. He assumed this was the entrance hall.

But what was the most eye-catching out of everything were the passerbys in the chamber. Odd and strange creatures scampered around in a constant state of hurry. Shinji spotted a few human faces amid the crowd, but he also saw a lot of pointed ears, large noses, multiple arms and other inhuman features. Clatters of metal and machines echoed through the hall along with their footsteps. The one thing they had in common was the red and blue clothes that they all wore, and some of them even had goggles like the ones Trivaz wore.

He stood there gaping at the astonishing sight before him when he felt someone jabbing him in the side. He turned to the source to see Trivaz standing there with her arms crossed.

“Well come on! You can gaze in awe later. The master doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” She walked through the hall in a rapid pace, and Shinji struggled to keep up with her among the passing creatures. As he followed her, he saw that some of them gazed at him in open curiosity. He tried to ignore their stares.

The two managed to reach a large floating circle guarded by two large robots. They wore red and blue plating (Shinji got the feeling that red and blue were this place’s favorite colors) and had reptilian helmets, which somewhat resembled his face, if a little fiercer. They all held two large spears that sparked small blue bolts.

Shinji gulped and took a step back, but Trivaz held him in place. “The master wants to see us.”

The two robots stood unmoving for 3 seconds before stepping aside. Trivaz pulled Shinji into the circle with her, and in a flash of blue light, he suddenly found himself standing in front of a large ornate set of double doors. It had no handles or doorknob and on it was the emblem that he had seen around this place, gleaming brightly in a kaleidoscopic manner.

“Now, when you are before the master, speak respectfully at all times and be interesting.”

Shinji tilted his head in confusion at this. “Be interesting? What does that mean?”

“Oh, it’s just that the master tends to melt the brain anyone who wastes his time” she replied in a chipper tone.

“Ah. Sounds like a nice man” he muttered sarcastically. Trivaz let out a small giggle in response.

“Well, he isn’t quite a **man…**but he is the wisest and most powerful being in all of existence. No one is more perfect than him!”

As if the words were right on cue, the doors swung open inwardly. The goggles-wearing woman pushed Shinji inside.

“Have fun!” The doors then slammed shut.

While a bit miffed that she left him there like that, Shinji took a moment to survey the room. It was more a large open clearing, suspended above the clouds than a room, about as big as the entrance hall he had just come out of. Various gears and blue-red baubles adorned the back walls. Piles of books and pages were stacked on top of one another. A large round platform lay in front of him. But nobody came to his sight.

He took another look around to see if there was anyone else when he spotted a book on a nearby desk. What was different about it was that the title was written in kanji, so Shinji went over to check it out. He never did stop to think just how he was able to see that it was kanji from that distance.

He opened the book hoping to understand something, but written inside was what seemed like scribbles. He flipped through the pages to try and see if there was anything else when a beautiful drawing got his attention. It was a drawing of a white Asian dragon, with glowing eyes and a tail that seemed to coil endlessly…

Wait, was that drawing _moving?_

“Enjoying the show, I see. I cannot blame you, they are magnificent.”

Shinji jumped backward and looked to where he had heard the voice, but the sight made him drop the book (and his jaw) in total shock and awe. The only thing he could think of was _‘How did I not notice this!?’_

Sitting in front of him was a massive reptilian creature, covered in red scales. Its frilled head nearly touched the nonexistent ceiling, while its body filled out the platform. Massive wings were folded at its sides and blue frills adorned its back and the back of its head. Its legs were massive as well, with sharp black claws adorning each digit. Its jaw possessed frills as well, giving them the appearance of a “small”, blue beard. Glowing orange eyes seemed to stare into Shinji’s soul.

As he took the creature’s appearance in, something clicked in his mind. The emblems, the drawing, his new appearance…

“A dragon” he whispered, “You’re a dragon.”

Said dragon just chuckled in amusement. “You are a slow one, aren’t you?” Shinji didn’t reply.

“I trust that you found your temporary quarters comfortable?” Shinji broke out of his stupor and nodded.

“Y-yes, thank you. S-sorry if I seem rude but, who are you?”

The dragon chuckled again “My, how rude of me. Allow me to introduce myself: My name is Niv-Mizzet, last true dragon of Ravnica, guild-master of the Izzet guild and Lord of Nivix.”

Shinji widened his eyes even more as the dragon introduced himself. This was the guild-master!? He then recalled what Trivaz had said beforehand. His hands snapped to his sides and bowed.

“It’s an honor to meet you sir! Sorry for intruding!”

The dragon chuckled again “Please, lift your head. We have more or less an equal standing here.” Shinji did so but remained still. “Would you come closer, child?”

Shinji walked forward until he stood at the bridge connecting the platform to the castle (a castle!?). The dragon – Niv-Mizzet – dipped his head a little closer and Shinji stared back up. He wanted to shrink away from those glowing eyes. They reminded him of his father’s tinted sunglasses. Unlike his father’s cold and emotionless gaze though, this gaze possessed a hint of curiosity and…was that excitement? Couldn’t be.

“What is your name child?” Niv-Mizzet asked.

“Shinji Ikari, sir.”

“You are not from Ravnica, are you? I know all that happens here, and I am sure that I would have seen you before, given what you are. Where are you from?”

“Tokyo-3, sir. I don’t even know what Ravnica is.”

The dragon tilted his head. “Tokyo-3? Unusual name. Though it does explain some things…is it a human settlement?”

“Yes.” Niv-Mizzet lifted his snout up and mumbled something under his breath, though Shinji couldn’t hear it.

The dragon looked back down at him again and asked “How did you arrive here? What is the last thing you remember?”

“Um…” Shinji tried to answer in a way that wouldn’t seem confusing. “I remember I saw something awful, then there was this pain in my chest, a bright light and then…I woke up in the room here.”

“Something awful? What do you mean by that?”

Shinji was hesitant to answer. Would he even believe him if he told him? Should he even tell him?

“I will not tell another soul if you wish, child. I have seen a great many interesting things in my life, so I would be hard-pressed **not** to believe anything you say.” Shinji nearly jumped in shock. How...?

“It is practically written all over your face, child.”

At the mention of his face, Shinji remembered what he had seen in the mirror and touched his face once more, feeling the snout and hard scales.

He must have made some outward sign of emotion because Niv-Mizzet spoke up. “You need not be alarmed child. Nothing bad has happened to you.” His eyes snapped back up to the dragon, whose orange eyes had a comforting glint to them.

“How about we make a little trade-off? Knowledge for knowledge; you tell me your experiences up until now, and in return, I shall tell you all that you wish to know about what has happened to you and where you are. Deal?”

Shinji considered the offer, yet quickly relented; it wasn’t like he had anything to lose, right?

So he took a deep breath and began telling his story to the dragon. About how he was abandoned by his father only to be summoned 10 years later and forced to fight in a war that he was never prepared for. About the Angels that tried to wipe out humanity and the world he had lived in. The EVAs and how much pain he had felt when in them. He told him about his fellow pilots and guardian, about how one was a bully, one a quiet girl, the other a flirt and the guardian who was a slob and a drunk. How he was forced to attack and probably kill one of them thanks to his father.

He didn’t know why he had talked about that last thing in front of a stranger, a dragon no less, but once he started talking, he just couldn’t stop the words from coming out. By the end of his tale, he had some tears in his eyes.

He looked to Niv-Mizzet expecting to see a pitiful or angry expression about him being a wimp, but for the life of him he couldn’t figure out the dragon’s gaze. There was no malice or anger in it, but rather it seemed…calculative.

The dragon remained silent for a few minutes before he eventually spoke.

“Hmm. It is far too elaborate of a story to be made up, and I have heard of stranger things in my lifetime. Tell me though; your world was technologically advanced, right? With no magic?”

Not expecting that question to be the first thing someone would ask after his story, he replied with a simple “Yes”.

Niv-Mizzet chuckled again. “It seems I have maybe underestimated your kind a little, to go that far without mana…”

He saw the child’s questioning gaze and said “Nothing. Merely some ramblings. Now, what is it you wish to know? Take your time, I am not rushed.”

Shinji had a multitude of questions in his head, but the most prominent one was:

“What happened to me?”

“It would seem that as a result of the trauma from your forced fight, you triggered your spark and planeswalked here.”

“Planeswalked?”

“Right, silly me. As you probably guessed, we are not in your Tokyo-3. We are not even on your Earth. This is another world, another plane.”

Shinji just stared at him with a very confused look. “There isn’t one universe, but many. An infinite number of them, all part of a vast multiverse. They are all separate, unaware of one another. To them, their universe is the only one. However, there are those who can travel between these universes, these planes, called Planeswalkers. That is what you are.” The dragon stopped for a moment and Shinji gestured him to go on.

“A Planeswalker possesses a special spark in his soul that allows him to cross the void between planes, the Blind Eternities. That spark is found within one in a million people, but only one of _those _million spark-holders will awaken; basically, one in a trillion become Planeswalkers.”

Shinji’s jaw dropped at that probability. One in a **trillion**? Him, out of all people. However, he heard Niv-Mizzet talking again so he paid attention.

“I can see you are mind-boggled by that probability, as you should. It is a great honor and privilege to be a Planeswalker. But keep in mind there is nearly an infinite number of planes with a nearly infinite number of intelligent denizens, so while the number of currently active Planeswalkers is somewhat small, it is still more than you think.”

“Do all planeswalkers transform?”

The old dragon expected that question. “No, they do not physically transform, at least to such a degree as you have. You are an anomaly, the first one I have heard of. Although…” His throat rumbled in thought.

“Out of all of the planes you could have arrived at, you were sent here. For some reason unknown even to me, Planeswalkers are drawn to this plane and will come here at least once in their lives, if they survive that long. Several of them actually live here.

This is just a theory, but I believe that the presence of multiple Planeswalkers on one plane unconsciously drew you here. As for your transformation? I don’t know.”

Shinji processed the information in his head and tried to make sense of it.

“Um…so if I heard correctly, I’m someone who can travel between universes, there are more like me here and you don’t know how I became like this?”

“A bit of an oversimplification, but yes.”

“Are you one?”

The dragon let out a mirthful chuckle “Despite my knowledge and prowess, no I am not.”

Shinji had two questions left to ask.

“What am I? What is this place?”

“From my study of you, I have deduced that you are a dragon-human hybrid – half human, half dragon. But you are still you, Shinji Ikari. Your soul, your personality, who you are – that remained the same.

As for where you are? Well, see for yourself…”

Niv-Mizzet gestured with his wing for him to step on the platform. He did so, and for what seemed like the umpteenth time today his jaw dropped again.

Spread out in front of him, at a bird’s-eye view, was an ENORMOUS city. So enormous that he couldn’t see its end. Buildings and spires of various shapes and sizes were scattered as far as his eye could see. Clouds dotted his vision as he gazed up from the platform, and he heard(!) the symphony of chatters and bustles from the seemingly endless streets.

_‘This makes Tokyo-3 look like an apartment block!’ _he thought in awe. As he gazed at the endless scenery, he heard Niv-Mizzet speak with pride in his voice.

“This city stretches out farther than you can see. It encompasses our whole planet in fact, so much so that among Planeswalkers, the city’s name has become synonymous with the plane itself.

Welcome, Shinji Ikari, to Ravnica!”

**-DPoI-**

**Ta-da! What do you think!**

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**Custom Card of the Chapter:**

**Name: **Shinji, Izzet Newcomer

**Mana cost: **RU

**Types: **Legendary Dragon Human

**P/T: **2/1

**Card text:** When this card enters the battlefield, if you control another red or blue creature, draw a card. If you control a Dragon, draw 2 cards instead.

**Flavor text: ** _“Why do I have a tail?”_


	3. Ravnica

**I own nothing except my OC’s.**

**Read and Review! Constructive criticism is welcome! **

“Speech”

_‘thought’_

**“Spells/attacks”**

** _‘mind-speech’_ **

** Chapter 3 – Ravnica **

Shinji stood there, slack-jawed at the sight of the enormous city splayed in front of him. His statement about Tokyo-3 looking like an apartment block simply seemed to shrink to a simple building after hearing Niv-Mizzet's declaration.

_'The entire plane!? What kind of city takes up that much space!?'_

He kept gazing at the city, unable to take his eyes off it until he heard the old dragon's amused voice. "It is astonishing, I know. Every day I gaze upon this city and its majesty has never ceased to enthrall me."

Shinji turned to face Niv-Mizzet who had just shifted to a more comfortable position. He looked at the young half-dragon with an amused, yet inquisitive look.

Shinji looked back at the dragon, and the again towards the endless city. His gaze sometimes drifted downwards towards his clawed hands. The longer he did so, the more his eyes widened and the more he realized how truly insane this whole situation had become.

He was stuck on another world – no, another UNIVERSE – learned that there were more of them out there, this particular world had an infinite city with _talking DRAGONS and monsters, _and that he was someone who could travel between these worlds.

Did he mention that he was apparently a half-dragon now?

Worst of all, he had no idea if he even could return home. As bad as it was, he still had _some _people that he cared about. Did something happen to them while he was gone? Did they hate him for running away?

The last thought brought up a word that had been used by Asuka and his father, a word that he knew described him perfectly:

_Coward._

_'Am I…am I really...?' _

He clutched his chest and his knees grew wobbly. His breathing became labored as he tried to refocus his dulled vision. He tried to say, even think of something coherent, but his mind was still reeling from the shock.

He thought that he was about to faint when suddenly he felt something wash over him, as though a stone had been thrown in the waters of his mind and the ripples were clearing the anxiety and shock he had felt. He felt himself calm down and his vision cleared.

He looked over his body only to see that nothing has changed. He dismissed it as his imagination, understandable due to the small breakdown that had occurred, but he thought he saw a blue wisp float from his body.

He turned his head and saw Niv-Mizzet still sitting there, his expression and posture unchanging. _'Did his eyes glow blue?'_

"Feeling better now? I understand how this might be a lot for you to take in, but you must learn to overcome it. Would you like to continue our little exchange of knowledge? I believe it will distract you from that little episode."

Shinji nodded. He may not say it, but he wanted to not think about his father or his home for the moment. Besides, it would do well for him to learn more about this entrancing place.

"Very well. You may go first." Shinji rummaged through his thoughts, looking for an appropriate question to start with.

"Trivaz said something about you being a guild-master. What did she mean by that?"

This question made Niv-Mizzet bare his fangs and twist his maw into what seemed like a smile. "She mentioned that, did she? The answer to that question is very simple: I am the leader of the great and supreme Izzet League, greatest of the Ten Guilds of Ravnica. The Ten Guilds maintain order and stability throughout the whole plane. The Izzet League is tasked with creating all of Ravnica's technology and provide power to its inhabitants – a task that no other guild can accomplish" he exclaimed with a prideful and booming voice.

In addition, members of the guild are seekers and pioneers of knowledge, performing marvelous and mystifying experiments to enlighten their minds and the minds of the common folk. It is the highest honour a Ravnican can have, and I rule them all. I have done so for more than 10,000 years, ever since I formed this guild."

Shinji's mind nearly shut down at that last piece of information. 10,000 years!? Do dragons live that long?

The old dragon saw Shinji's gobsmacked expression and chuckled. "I sense this brings up more questions in you. But remember our trade; you asked me something and I answered. Now, it is my turn. My question is thus: These 'Evangelions' of yours, they are machines, right? Golems of steel that move without magic? How do they work?"

"U-um, yes, they're machines. They run on electricity and they imitate the pilot's movements. I was placed in a tube filled with this liquid called LCL than was plugged into the EVA. When it was plugged in, the EVA would move as I would move, but I also felt any damage that it took" Shinji replied, relaying as much as he could with his limited knowledge of the mechas.

Niv-Mizzet hummed and tilted his head in thought. He then gestured with his head for Shinji to ask.

"You said something about magic just now. What did you mean by that?"

"You don't know? Then again, from what you told me I shouldn't be surprised…magic Shinji is the very lifeblood of this plane and yours as a Planeswalker. It enables one to perform feats that boggle the imagination and rewrite existence to suit their desires. Many Planeswalkers have become masters in various aspects of magic thanks to their ability to travel to between planes and to learn from the knowledge that lies there. These feats are performed by the use of **mana; **the magical energy that fuels spells and magic and runs through the plane.”

The old dragon allowed Shinji a minute to digest what he had said before asking “I hope you don’t mind me asking such a personal question but I must know; why? Why would you pilot a machine that you yourself state brings you nothing but harm?”

This question left Shinji befuddled as he tried to think of an answer. Why did he pilot? He thought for a minute, and then he replied with uncertainty in his voice.

"I-I don't really know anymore…when I first came to Tokyo-3, my father said that I had to pilot because if not, all of humanity would die. I tried to refuse, but he p-p-pushed in Rei…she was badly wounded then. If I didn't pilot, she would instead. I-I couldn't allow that. After she healed…I guess that I stayed because…I wanted to please my father…to feel needed. He abandoned me 10 years ago, and I thought that if I would r-run away, just when he needed me…I would disappoint him. But he was just using me; he never cared about me, he made me kill my…comrade, volatile as she was. In short, I think I piloted because…because I thought that by piloting…I was worth **something**."

By the time he finished, Shinji was struggling to keep his composure, and tears were starting to leak. _'Why? Why do I have to be so…pathetic?'_

Before he could wallow in more self-misery however, Niv-Mizzet spoke up. "Now now, enough of that. It will do you no good to sulk and whine. You are a dragon now; stand strong."

Shinji sniffled and rubbed his snout. He looked to the old dragon, whose expression still hadn't changed. "It seems that this is a sensitive topic for you, so I will hold off in asking any more for the time being. It is now your turn."

Shinji dried his eyes and refocused. _'That's right'_ he thought _'it won't do me any good to whine. I won't be any more pathetic than I am now'_ he turned to Niv-Mizzet and asked "You mentioned ten guilds. Who are they?"

"As I said before, the Ten Guilds maintain order throughout the whole plane and act as a form of government. However, not all of them are benevolent; in fact, some of them are groups who vie for nothing more than control of the city. Other than Izzet, they are as follows:

The Azorius Senate, which functions as the formal government of Ravnica and creates Ravnican laws.

The Selesnya Conclave, which involves itself in the maintenance of peace and unity throughout Ravnica.

The Boros Legion, which acts as the standing army of Ravnica as well as a peacekeeping force.

The Simic Combine, which is made up of physicians and healers. They are emotionally distant from the rest of the people, though.

The Cult of Rakdos, which attends to the menial labor and services, which can range from assassinations to food services and entertainment.

The Gruul Clans used to maintain the wilds of Ravnica and keep civilization in check, now they are nothing more than a loose affiliation of clans after the other guilds overran every wild place on the plane.

The Golgari Swarm is a necromantic magic guild. As a result of their growth and necromancy, they are the largest guild in Ravnica.

The Orzhov Syndicate is secretly tied to every business in Ravnica. They hold the façade of being a religious group, which they may have been at one point; now they worship nothing more than profit and power.

Finally, we have the House Dimir – they are the assassins, manipulators and black dealers of the plane. They provide burglary, smuggling, assassination and other illegal services to the populace. They are an extremely secretive guild, so secretive that their own agents do not know who they truly work for most of the time."

Shinji closed his eyes mentally sorted the information in his head. Ten groups, all in control of the plane and only a few seem to be doing a good job. Before he could ruminate on this more though, he heard the dragon's voice again.

"I believe that I shall finish this session for the time being with one last question: What are you going to do now?"

The young hybrid was surprised at the spontaneity of that question, but Niv-Mizzet had brought up a good point; what **was** he going to do now?

At first he wanted to say "I want to go back" but something stopped him from saying that. His little 'confession' to the dragon raised an interesting question in his head: Why should he go back? His father was just using him, Asuka, Mari and Rei could pilot far better than him and there was that…"Dummy Plug".

He scowled a little as he remembered the green letters that appeared before him just before his EVA went berserk. It seemed that whatever it was, it allowed the EVA to move without his instruction, like an autopilot. Didn't Dr. Akagi mention that she was building an autopilot for the EVAs before?

_'Besides' _he thought _'even if I did go back, I would probably make things worse. I would probably mess up again when more Angels attack. I'll just get in the way. Also…they'll think I'm a freak, with a body like this. Knowing my fa…no, Gendo… and Dr. Akagi, they’ll lock me up and experiment on me.'_

His mind flashed to the time with the Third Angel when he blacked out after taking a beating from the eldritch monstrosity. More importantly, he remembered the sheer pain that he felt during that time and **every other time** that he fought.

_'I…I don't want it…I don't want to feel that pain anymore…'_

He took a deep breath and looked up Niv-Mizzet, who sat there unmoving. "I…I don't want to go back…I don't want to feel pain anymore…they probably won't accept me anyway…but I don't know where to go…"

"That part is simple; stay and become a member of the Izzet League."

Shinji stepped back in surprise. "S-stay here? B-but I would only be –"

“You won’t be a bother, that I can assure you. I have learned how to read people over my long years of life, and I see many things when I look at you; some good, some that could stand improvement, but most importantly, I see **potential.** Back in your home plane, you were used for no other reason than to pilot a machine, and from the sound of it that job has been taken from you as well. Here, you will be accepted and I can teach you many wondrous things, about magic and about Ravnica itself. Not only that, but I know a couple of Planeswalkers that reside in Ravnica personally. I could convince them to teach you how to planeswalk and how to adapt to new environments.”

Shinji was shocked at the offer. How could he not? Niv-Mizzet leaned his head a bit closer to him and asked: “Do we have a deal?”

Shinji tried to say yes, but suddenly hesitated. What if Mizzet was just using him? What if he was just like…Gendo?

The old dragon must have seen Shinji’s expression change because he said “I see the hesitation and doubt in your eyes so I will be frank: I am not a nice or caring individual. I didn’t offer you to join out of the kindness of my heart. If you do accept me as a teacher, I will be harsh at times, even remorseless. There will be times when you will have to do things that might seem unacceptable to you. But remember that I will do this out of a desire to see you grow, to see what you can become; that is the reason I am offering you a place here.

So, I ask again: Do we have a deal, Shinji Ikari?”

The young hybrid juggled the words in his mind. Mizzet was a bit like Gendo in a way, it seemed. But there was one difference in Shinji’s mind, that clinched the deal and made him want to accept:

Unlike Gendo, Mizzet was honest with him (at least, he seemed honest).

“What do I do to join…sensei?”

The old dragon bared his fangs as though he was grinning. “Splendid. I had a feeling that you might say that. Trivaz will soon arrive to give you a little tour of Nivix and I shall formally welcome you to the Izzet League. Until she arrives, you may take a look around here if you wish.”

Shinji bowed his head. “Thank you, sensei.”

Mizzet tilted his head in curiosity. “From what I know, sensei means teacher or master, right?” Shinji nodded. “Most of the guild members call me Lord Niv-Mizzet and other such titles, but I think I will make an exception here. It’s always good to have another title.”

A knocking on the door was heard. In a flash, the doors swung open and the black-haired woman stepped in, bowing to her knees. “Trivaz, Shinji here is our newest recruit. Why don’t you give him a tour – a proper one, mind you – of Nivix while I prepare the initiation?”

“As you command, o all-knowing parun.” She rose and gestured for the young hybrid to follow her. He did so and the doors closed. Niv-Mizzet turned to the view of the infinite city spread out before him, like a king overlooking his subjects.

“Well, this project is now underway. I wonder how he will develop…”

**-DPoI-**

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**Custom Card of the Chapter:**

**Name: **Lessons of the Firemind

**Mana cost: **1RUU

**Types: **Legendary Enchantment

**Card text:** Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, place a Knowledge counter on this card. If you control a Dragon, place two Knowledge counters instead.

Remove 2 Knowledge counters from Lessons of the Firemind; add RU. Until end of turn, you don’t lose this mana as phases and steps end.

Remove 5 Knowledge counters from Lessons of the Firemind; you may cast instant and sorcery spells from your graveyard this turn. If you do, exile them.


	4. Nivix

**I own nothing except my OC’s.**

**Read and Review! Constructive criticism is welcome! **

“Speech”

_‘thought’_

**“Spells/attacks”**

** _‘mind-speech’_ **

** Chapter 4 – Nivix **

Shinji was dragged out of Niv-Mizzet’s chamber by Trivaz and pulled him into the blue portal that he had come out of. A flash of light later, he found himself standing inside another room. This room was just as vibrant as the rest of the castle, with the Izzet banners decorating the stone walls. Cabinets and mirrors of different shapes and sizes lined the walls as well, along with small, round tables that had spools of string and odd-looking knick-knacks rested on them. The most attention-drawing thing in the room however, was a large, igloo-shaped machine that let out puffs of smoke and flashes of light from its small windows. Several pipes were connected to it and a glowing crystal adorned its top.

He jumped a bit at the sound of Trivaz’s yell. “Oi, Gralik! You still alive?”

A clanging of metal was heard and from behind the large machine, a short figure stepped out. It had a gnarly-looking face with a long nose, pointed ears and wore gold-colored goggles like Trivaz. Its uniform was a shorter, chubbier version of Trivaz’s as well, with golden gears on the shoulders and a large toolbelt. It waddled over to the two, looking with an irritated scowl on its tooth-filled mouth.

“Trivaz, I told you for the 344th time that unless our supreme Parun is demanding it, I am not to be disturbed while I am exploring the fine details of my technomancy creations” it (now he) said in a raspy, yet high-pitched tone. “I have a schedule and appointment hours and I cannot be bothered by whatever trivialities that you may have or – “

“That’s the thing” Trivaz cut him off and gestured to Shinji, who stood there with an odd expression while looking at the diminutive being. “This is Shinji, a new recruit personally selected by our all-knowing Parun, probably going to be his apprentice. Lord Mizzet wants you to outfit him properly for his initiation immediately.”

The being snapped his gaze up to meet Shinji’s reptilian blue eyes. Even though he couldn’t actually see them, Shinji was sure that he was being looked over like a piece of pie. The little being looked up and down at Shinji’s form and started circling him, with the young hybrid trying to say something. “Um…”

Trivaz saw the confused expression on Shinji’s face and snapped her fingers. “Right, you’re new to Ravnica. The ugly little hellion that’s examining you is Gralik, our…tailor and armorer, if you will. He’s a goblin, you’ll see a lot of them here.”

“A goblin?” Shinji asked. He had read once a story that had mentioned them, also he did see a couple down in the main hall.

“Yeah, most of them are thrifty little buggers, scampering around and gambling. They won’t harm you though, especially if you’re our Parun’s apprentice.”

“Parun? What does that mean?” He had heard her say the word a few times before, but he didn’t understand it.

“In Ravnica, the Parun is the original founder of the guild. Lord Mizzet is one of the very few that still remain alive and function as the guild-master.”

He then remembered two things: Mizzet _did_ say that he founded the guild, and that the old dragon has lived for more than 10,000 years. Shinji slowly widened his eyes, having truly grasped what was said to him. “T-then that would mean that the Izzet League was founded…ten thousand years-ACK!”

He suddenly felt that someone was pulling at his behind, or more accurately, his tail, and yelped. The young hybrid turned around to see that the goblin had a measuring tape in one clawed hand and the other was holding the tip of his tail. He was about to protest when, in near-unseen motion, Gralik twisted the tape up, across and around his tail before returning it to his pocket and waddling to one of the tables.

“Those clothes that he’s wearing” Gralik asked. “You cut them from one of the uniforms, right?”

“Yep. Had to make a little room for the tail.” Trivaz replied.

The goblin grunted and picked up a piece of parchment. “He’s yet to be fully initiated, right?”

“Yep. But Lord Mizzet said that he needs full gear, armor-wise at least.” The goblin grunted again before picking up a quill, dipping it in ink and rapidly scribbling on the parchment. Occasionally he would pull out a ruler and draw along, but most of the time he seemed to do it without even looking.

Shinji just stood there confused as he watched the short creature scribble away. He managed, however, to regain some of his mental facilities and ask “What happened just now?”

“He took your measurements and is making you a proper uniform” Trivaz replied as though it was the most obvious thing there was. “It won’t take long so don’t you worry alright?”

_‘That explains the tape measure’_ the hybrid thought. He turned to the female and asked “What is going to happen for this…initiation?”

Trivaz brought a finger to her chin and hummed in thought. “Well, the initiation is usually done by one of the high mages of the guild, and they sometimes ask for riddles, play mind games or ask you to fix a broken knick-knack of theirs. If you pass, you’re given a room here and made to swear loyalty to our Parun. The difference here with you though, is that Lord Niv-Mizzet is going to perform your initiation personally, so I don’t really know what exactly will it entail.”

Shinji adopted a worried look. That was not really reassuring. What if he would fail? Where would he go?

Trivaz saw his worried expression and leaned to pat his back. “Cheer up! The fact that Lord Mizzet chose to initiate you personally means that he already knows that you’ll pass, so don’t worry!”

“H-he does?” he stammered.

“Of course!” she chirped. “Our Parun is all-knowing!”

Shinji let out a sigh of relief, though he was still skeptical. How can someone be all-knowing?

A clattering sound then drew his attention. He turned his head to see that Gralik had rolled up the parchment and was waddling over to the large machine. He reached a small console with several different levers and buttons, as well as a small tube that led to the machine itself. He pushed the parchment into the tube and began fiddling with the console.

The parchment was sucked into the machine as a low humming sound was heard. Flashes of light and red sparks emanated from it as the goblin muttered something and pressed several buttons, along with inserting spools of thread and metal shards into the tube, sucking them into the machine. A whooshing sound was then heard as small waves of blue energy began emanating from the crystal and onto the machine. The sound intensified by the second, and Shinji started to brace himself in case something blew up. Trivaz just remained still, her arms folded behind her.

Just when he thought that the machine _was _going to explode, Gralik pulled a big red lever at his side. The machine calmed down as the sound was slowly silenced and the lights dimmed. Soon enough, the machine grew completely silent.

Gralik pressed a button on the console and a hatch popped open on the machine's front. The goblin went over to the hatch held out his arms. A few seconds later, something (rather, a few things) popped out of the hatch and landed in his outstretched arms. The hatch closed and he waddled back to the duo. He turned to Shinji and gestured him to take whatever was in his hands.

Shinji picked up the bundle and examined it. It looked like a set of folded clothes along with a pair on metallic armguards. He was about to turn the bundle over when he heard the goblin clear his throat. He looked down at the gnarly creature and saw him waddling over to one of the cabinets. “Follow me, please.”

While a tad startled, Shinji nonetheless obeyed as he hurried over to the goblin. He was led to one of the cabinets when the goblin suddenly stopped him with an outstretched hand. “Stand here, please.”

Shinji stood looking more confused than before when the goblin tapped the side of the cabinet and four walls popped up around the hybrid. “Hey!”

The goblin ignored his protest and called “When you are done changing, just call out.” Shinji turned around and saw that indeed, the walls around him looked like those of a dressing room; there was a coat hanger, a stool and a large mirror. He exchanged glances at the mirror and at the clothes in his hands, unsure what to do.

“Are ya done yet?” Trivaz called out.

“O-one moment!” he replied. He hurriedly took off his clothes, careful as not to rip them and started putting on the new set. A minute later, fully clothed in his new garments, he turned to the mirror and examined himself.

The new clothes were very similar to what he had been given when he woke up: A trench coat with long pants. The differences were that the chest area was not open, but covered with a large cloth with the Izzet symbol that stretched down his shoulders and looked like chest armor. The trench coat was a dark blue, embroidered with red flame-patterns all over. The pants were the same shade of dark blue and possessed two pockets, but no embroidery. The two armguards were an ebony black and were worn on his forearms. The metal was riveted and looked like a second layer of jagged scales. Shinji’s two wings stuck comfortably from two large openings in the coat and from behind the chest-cloth. A small, leather stomach-guard was encircled around his waist and was held by small leather belts with rings, probably meant for holding equipment. The whole set, however, had one major difference: the cloth seemed a little tougher than before, albeit it was still smooth enough to move in.

Having folded the old clothes and satisfied with his new look, he called out “I’m ready!” The wall behind him sunk back into the floor and he stepped out towards Trivaz. She gave him a look over and smirked.

“Woah, lookin’ good! Good job there Grumpy!” She said, with the last part directed to the goblin. Gralik just ignored her and gave the hybrid a small look over as well.

“Is the cloth comfortable? Is anything of yours stuck?” he asked. Shinji shook his head. “No, it’s rather comfortable and very easy to move in, although the cloth is a little hard.”

“That’s because it’s battle-grade tough” the goblin replied. Upon seeing Shinji’s tilted head, he elaborated. “Fighting and accidents are common both in and out of the guild; that means any piece of clothing which is not armor must be made to provide good protection for the body. The enchantments on it will help too.”

“Enchantments?” Shinji asked, intrigued.

“Just the basic ones, with a couple of extras; anti-wet, mild temperature control, burn/tear/acid resistance, etc. If our Parun has chosen to take you on as an apprentice, a little bonus is needed. You can place additional enchantments when you learn them.”

“O-oh, thanks” Shinji said, a little surprised at the mention of extras. Gralik just waved it off, however.

“No need to thank me, this is my job. If you need anything like new clothes, armor or repairs, just come here. Trivaz or Lord Mizzet will show you how.” He gave a small bow to the young hybrid and waddled back to the machine.

Trivaz pulled Shinji’s hand and guided him back to the portal. He was about to step in when Trivaz stopped him. “It’ll take too much time to go through every room, and for now you only need to know the essential ones sooo…” she waved her hand and the portal started to shimmer. “I’ll just show you them from here.”

An image formed in the blue light. It showed several humans, along with a couple of goblins and weird, gooey creatures working in a large room, decorated with swords, spears, staffs and other weapons. One of them, a burly man, was at the workbench forging, others were either carrying around weapons and other paraphernalia or scribbling on pieces of parchment. “That is the forge. All weapons and hardware are made here.”

She waved her hand and the image changed. This one showed all manner of guild members scampering around large glass containers and spheres. In each of those spheres/containers were shifting masses of light, either hovering in place or attacking the glass. Those that stood near the spheres were either taking notes or fiddling with small consoles. “The Firemind Spellcrafting division: here, different spells and magics are developed and researched.”

The image changed again to show a large factory-like room with impossible-looking contraptions and gadgets, manned by more of the guild members, breaking them down and building them back up again, even creating ones made from seemingly random parts. “This is the engineering division: all gadgets are made, manufactured and upgraded here.”

Another wave, another image. This one showed a room filled with desks, scrolls, and models, manned by different guildmembers. The models looked like buildings and varying forms of architecture. “The Ravnican division: architectural designs and historical research for the city is done here. If you want to know about some event or someplace in this infinite city, you’ll find it here.”

This time, the new room looked like a fusion of the spellcrafting and engineering division: Gadgets and orbs of light were scattered throughout, pipes were connected to large machines like the one in this room, and guild-members held different tools as they handled and studied whatever they were near. “This is my division: the technomancy division. Here, magic and science are fused together to create wonder beyond all imagination.”

The new image showed an immense library, filled with shelves that were seemingly as tall as houses. Those shelves were filled with books of various shapes and sizes. Tables, chairs and sofas were scattered throughout the aisles, some of them occupied by guild members reading and surrounded by piles of books. “This is the Great Mizzet Library: all knowledge in Ravnica and even beyond can be found here. It is by far one of the most important rooms in Nivix” she said with a hint of excitement.

The image shifted to show a large mine of sorts, filled with moving carts, smelters and piles of metal and rock. “The metallurgy division deals with mining, purifying and manufacturing all the metals for the guild’s various needs; most predominantly, our main export Mizzium. Don’t ask how, you’ll find out later” Trivaz said, cutting off Shinji’s intended question.

The image shimmered again, but nothing new came out. Shinji turned to the female guild member, only to see a small smirk on her goggled face. “The initiation won’t begin for a small while. You hungry?”

“Um, well…” Whatever Shinji was going to say was cut off by the loud sound of a rumbling stomach. Realizing where the noise came from, Shinji looked down with an embarrassed expression. Trivaz however, just laughed.

“I take that as a big yes. Well, follow me and I’ll show you the best room in this whole castle.” She waved her hand again and the portal flashed blue. She pulled his arm and entered the portal with the young hybrid.

A blue flash later, Shinji stood in a cavernous room lined with long tables. Sitting at some of those tables were guild members munching on all sorts of foods, some that Shinji recognized, some that he did not, and a couple that he wasn’t sure that he wanted to recognize.

They walked past the tables until they reached a large, spherical device, connected to pipes from the ceiling. Connected to it was a large console filled with buttons, each one with a small pictogram depicting some sort of food. A set of levers was there as well.

Trivaz put a hand on one of the levers and asked “What do you wanna eat?”

Shinji looked at the buttons and hummed. _‘To be honest, I’m actually really hungry. I should go for something big’ _he thought. He skimmed through the pictograms when his eyes fell on one depicting a steak. Not really knowing what led him to this, he asked “can I have some meat? A big piece of meat?”

“Sure!” Trivaz chirped. She punched the button and pulled down a couple of levers. The machine let out a slow hum and puffs of smoke came out of the small vents in it. A few seconds later, a hatch in the front of the machine opened up and out came a smoking hot plate with a large steak.

Shinji unknowingly drooled a little when he smelt the piece of meat. He grabbed the plate and inspected the meal. It looked very well-made for something that came out of a machine. He was broken out of his food-induced mini-trance when he heard the ravenette’s voice. “Don’t drool yet, kid. Let’s sit first.”

Shinji followed her to a nearby table and sat down. He was about to start eating when he noticed he forgot something. “Where are the chopsticks?" At Trivaz's confused look he added "eating utensils?"

She just gave another odd look. "You're part dragon. You should be able to eat that thing with ease." The hybrid blinked and looked down at his steak. Eat it like that? With his bare hands?

Trivaz sighed when she saw his hesitation and said in a slightly annoyed tone "I have a napkin if your hands get dirty, just eat it."

Startled by her tone, Shinji nodded and began eating the steak. Just as he thought, it tasted really good. He also seemed to have little to no trouble biting into it, and soon lost himself in gorging on his meal.

As he ate, the female technomage looked at him with a curious gaze behind her goggles. This boy was somewhat of an enigma, both in body and personality. He was nervous most of time and rather timid, but after listening in to his conversation with the Parun (as she was instructed to), it seemed as though he did have some fire in him. _'That's good'_ she thought. _'That spark will help him survive in this city.'_

A minute or two later, the plate was devoid of any meat and the young hybrid liked his jaw in satisfaction. She wordlessly handed him a napkin, with which he promptly used his hands. "Did you enjoy yourself?" She asked.

"Yes, thank you. That tasted really good." Trivaz just nodded in response. A silence formed between them, though it seemed a bit awkward for Shinji. Then, he decided that if he was going to remain here for the foreseeable future, he should try and get to know his guild-mates.

"So, um...how did you join the guild?"

While a bit surprised at the small attempt in icebreaking, the female wizard decided to humor him. "My parents were researchers and I've always admired their work. I lived at a neighborhood just south of here, the spires of Nivix always greeting me when I woke up. I had and still have a natural knack for technomancy, ever since I managed to fix a mana tube when I was 7. I studied on my own for a while, then I decided to join the guild."

"Just like that?" He asked in a surprised tone. He was somewhat ashamed of thinking it, but due to the upbringing of his former comrades, he had expected something a little more tragic.

"Yeah, I just came in with some of my stuff and asked to join. After a couple of incidents (Shinji raised a nonexistent eyebrow at that), I was tested by the head of the technomancy division. I passed on my first try and was formally welcomed by Lord Mizzet. I've been a part of Izzet for 6 years."

"Six years? Then you must know a lot of people here."

"Ehh" she shrugged. "A lot them just think I'm annoying for some reason, but I do have a few friends here. Most Izzet members like to keep to themselves though, so don't expect any open camaraderie. Although..." Her voice dropped to a whisper and she leaned forward.

"If our Parun _is _going to make you his apprentice, expect really big VIP treatment around here. People will drop whatever they're working on to help you should you ask them."

Shinji grumbled a bit at the mention of preferential treatment. His previous experiences hadn't helped him with that. "I don't know...I don't think I deserve it."

She gave him an incredulous stare from behind her goggles. "What are you talking about? Lord Mizzet hasn't taken on an apprentice for many, many years. If anything, this will help you progress faster. You should be honored."

"If you say so..." He replied although he was still a little unsure.

"Good!" She chirped with a smile. Trivaz was about to reach into her belt when she suddenly froze. Shinji noticed this and asked "Trivaz? What wrong?"

She didn't respond for a few seconds, but then she shook her head and looked into his eyes. "It's time. Are you ready?"

Shinji was once again surprised by the abruptness of the situation. He wanted to say not yet, but something in his head nagged him to accept. A few seconds later, he sighed. '_Might as well get it over with...'_

"Yes, I'm ready."

Trivaz nodded and got up from the table, with Shinji following her. They reached the portal and Trivaz pulled him in. A flash of light later, he found himself once more in front of Niv-Mizzet's kaleidoscopic doors.

He took a deep breath and muttered "I mustn't run away..."

With those words, he pushed the doors open.

**My take on the guildhall of Nivix, and the test shall soon begin! What do you think?**

**Remember, Read and Review! REVIEW!**

**Custom Card of the Chapter:**

**Name: **Izzet Fabricator

**Manacost: **2RU

**Types: **Artifact

**Card text: **R/U: Activate this effect by revealing 1 instant and/or sorcery card in your hand and by targeting a creature you control; place 1 League counter on it. A creature with a League counter on it gains these effects, depending on what color you tapped to activate this effect

R: Remove a League counter from this card; deal 2 damage to any target.

U: Remove a League counter from this card: draw a card.

If you targeted a multicolored creature, it can use both effects.


	5. Trials and Tribulations

**I own nothing here except my custom cards and OC's.**

* * *

**Chapter 5 - Trials and Tribulations**

Shinji entered the room and was greeted by the sight of Niv-Mizzet lying on his platform, looking at what seemed to be some sort of blue hologram that shifted between images, projected by a spherical device. At the dragon's side stood a tall, black-haired man with silvery streaks in his hair. He wore a blue coat with red and gold linings, much like the ones Shinji saw on the other guildmembers. On his back was a strange, golden machine that resembled a lightning rod and was attached via a tube to a gauntlet on his right hand.

"Ah, Shinji. You are just in time. Please, come in"

The teenage dragon nodded and walked to Mizzet. The man at his side looked up and widened his eyes in surprise.

"I suppose I should introduce you two. Shinji, this is Ral Zarek, one of my chief researchers. Zarek, this here is Shinji Ikari, the newest member of Izzet. Before you ask, Shinji was human but an…accident transformed him into what you see before you."

"P-pleased to meet you, senpai! I am in your care!" stammered Shinji as he bowed. The tall man blinked in confusion before nodding hesitantly.

"…pleased to meet you too." He turned his head up to meet the dragon's eyes.

"What is he doing here? If I recall, you haven't initiated any new guild members in person for a good while." The parun gestured to Shinji with his head.

"Young Shinji here is my latest project; I have decided to make him my personal apprentice, and you shall help me teach him." Ral's eyes widened in shock.

"WHAT!? H-he's – that is – your – why!? You haven't had an apprentice since Zomaj, and he went insane! And why are you involving _me_ in this!?"

Shinji's tail (he still needed to get used to that) twitched in worry. Went insane? That never sounds good.

"Do not fret, my child," the old dragon said reassuringly. "I will make sure that the circumstances surrounding _that_ incident will not be repeated with you. I believe it would be better for both of us if your mind remains intact." Shinji quickly nodded in response.

"Now, I have thought hard on what would be an appropriate initiation test for you, but because the whole nature of your arrival and the situation I am presently in, I have decided to…shift some of the rules as it were, while hitting multiple birds with one stone, as I believe the expression goes." Niv-Mizzet raised a clawed hand and gestured the teen to come forward. He did so and the dragon lowered his hand to reveal a golden medallion, shaped like a gear and opened to reveal a glowing dragon-symbol – the symbol of the Izzet League.

The dragon placed the medallion into Shinji's outstretched hand. "Welcome to the Izzet League, Shinji Ikari."

…

…

…

"…that's it?"

Ral just stood there, gaping in shock. There wasn't even a test! Before he could say anything though, Niv-Mizzet spoke again.

"Instead of giving you an initiation test, I have decided to give you a mission; one of utmost importance to our guild and, if my assumptions are correct – which they always are – to the whole of Ravnica."

"What do you mean?" Shinji asked, still in confusion from the whole deal.

The dragon let out a low rumble. "It is quite an unfortunate story. Do you remember what I said about the guilds, and how they are the rulers of Ravnica?"

"Yes, each guild has its own job, right?"

"Correct. Now, as is the case with multiple groups holding power, the interests of these guilds more often than not clash, commonly resulting in violence and disorder – the very opposite of the guilds' purpose. To prevent this, the paruns bound the guilds together with a powerful magic treaty called the Guildpact. This pact prevented the guilds from overpowering and quarreling each other and ensured they did their jobs properly. For ten-thousand years, it did just that. But around 75 years ago, a vampire named Szadek, the leader of House Dimir, destroyed the Guildpact after a series of carefully orchestrated plots. The result was utter chaos and guilds were in danger of being disbanded. We have recovered since then, but conflicts throughout the guilds – both inside and outside – still remain."

'_That…sounds horrible'_ thought Shinji. It was just like back on Earth, where none of the countries seemed to get along unless something forced them together, like the Angel threat. Unknowing or dismissive of his expression, Niv-Mizzet continued.

"The magic that formed the Guildpact has vanished from Ravnica, with the only remaining traces found on the original document. However, my researchers and I recently stumbled upon something rather unusual in the city. Tell me Shinji, what do you see?" the dragon asked, gesturing to the hologram.

Shinji looked as the images shifted, showing plazas, towers and other buildings. He didn't really understand – after all, he barely knew the city – but as the images shifted, he noticed that all of them seemed to have large amounts of people moving around them.

"They're…landmarks? Important places?" The guild master nodded.

"Correct." Ral then pressed a button and the images changed; instead of buildings, they now showed random bits of architecture. Shinji kept looking at the images until he saw something unusual.

"They're…connected? Some of the images lead directly to another one."

"Correct again, Shinji. These images do connect to one another in some way." Shinji looked up, confused.

"What's so unusual about that? Lots of places in big cities can be connected like that" he replied, recalling that Tokyo-3 had a lot of secret tunnels and entrances, most of the leading to NERV.

"Astute observation, but what makes these locations so special is that all of them possess lingering traces of the Guildpact's magic. As I have said before, this is most unusual."

The parun then lowered his head until he stared directly into Shinji's eyes. "The task I have for you is this: I want you to assist me and discover what does this puzzle mean"

Shinji's jaw dropped in shock. He wanted _him_ to find out about all of this!?

"M-m-me? B-but how? I don't know anything about this city! I don't even know magic!" That was his biggest concern. He saw glimpses of what happened in the guild thanks to Trivaz, and everyone seemed to know magic. What could he do!?

"I do not expect you to suddenly discover something not even I have figured out. You will perform this task in tandem with your education with both me and Zarek. The more you learn from me and the more you tour Ravnica, the easier your task will be to accomplish." But Shinji still wasn't convinced.

"Why _me_?" A small grin formed on the old dragon's face.

"Because you are my apprentice, Shinji. I would not have given you such a task if I knew with the utmost surety that you will succeed; I have faith that you can accomplish this. Besides, maybe a change in…perspective can help us."

The former EVA pilot looked down at the ground bashfully. No one had ever told him they had faith in him. Back when he piloted Unit-01, Misato was the closest one to have done so, but he always felt that she did it only to make sure he defeated the Angels.

Even so…

"…that still doesn't change the fact that I barely know anything." The guild-master chuckled in response.

"True, true. Which is why I suggest you get started." A small pile of books levitated from a corner of the room and hovered in front of Shinji. "These books contain basic knowledge about Ravnica and mana in general. You will read those books on time for our lesson tomorrow, and don't worry about the language problem; you will be able to understand what is written. I presume Trivaz showed you how to navigate these halls?"

"Well…she showed me that teleporter but I didn't really understand."

"Just think of where you want to go and it will take you there. Now run along, I will have Zarek here fetch you tomorrow."

The books fell into Shinji's hands and he lifted them without effort, something that made him tilt his head in confusion.

'_I guess I'm stronger now. Not that it's a bad thing.'_

"Thank you, sensei," he said, bowing slightly and walking back to the door, only to stop when Niv-Mizzet called out.

"Oh, Shinji?"

He turned around to see that the grin had returned to Niv-Mizzet's face, only this time it seemed…anticipating, predatory even.

"I wish you the best of luck. Something tells me you might need it."

**-DPoI-**

As the new initiate left the room, Ral Zarek turned to his parun with a completely shocked expression on his face, gaping in total confusion for a few seconds before narrowing his eyes.

"What is going on?"

The dragon simply stared at the hologram. "Whatever do you mean?"

"You know what I mean! Taking on a new member as an apprentice, one who doesn't even know about mana? On top of all that, involving him in a top-secret project such as this as his _first mission!?_ And don't tell me 'it is none of your concern', you've assigned me as his tutor! What was –"

Ral was cut off by the angry growl of the old dragon, staring him down with an emotionless expression, eyes showing a flicker of annoyance. He gulped and tried to not take a step back. _'Maybe I should've watched my mouth…'_

The guild master leaned down and addressed Ral in an ominous tone:

"You forget your place, Ral Zarek. It is my decision to take him in and I have my reasons, reasons that your limited mind cannot possibly comprehend. I suggest you watch your tone, or I will turn your brain into mush and throw your body down the furnaces."

Ral nodded meekly, although part of his mind grumbled at the dragon's threat. This was nothing new, but he hated it all the same.

"Nevertheless, you _are _to be his secondary tutor, so I suppose I shall enlighten you with a part of this decision. You are aware of course, that the cowardly House Dimir has been attempting to watch our movements, correct?" Ral nodded.

"Well, our presence and appearances are well known, so any movements we make will naturally draw suspicion - you more so than I since I cannot leave this aerie. However, a new member wandering Ravnica will go unnoticed, especially once I make sure that the other members do not blab their mouths to anyone once I make the formal announcement."

"Why even announce it at all?"

"It is better to reveal and control the information than to hide it, only for it to leak out to our enemies."

'_Makes sense. By telling it to a group, you can locate leaks quickly and plug them. Callous and efficient. As expected of the Dracogenius...'_

"Of course it makes sense, I thought of it, and I am not callous. I will make sure Shinji can adequately defend himself when he ventures out."

Ral's eye twitched but said nothing. Mental magic was an utter nuisance…

"I see…I apologize, Lord Mizzet. Forgive my insolence" said Ral, bowing as he spoke.

"You would do well to remember it" the dragon replied in a clipped tone.

The two then stared in silence at the holograms, watching them as they changed. A few minutes later, Ral spoke

"If I may, great parun…"

"Ask."

"What is he exactly? He is no Viashino. None of them have the wings nor the exact body build I saw on the boy."

Niv-Mizzet stared at the hologram before speaking again.

"I am not…completely sure. He was a normal human once, but he transformed into what you saw just before Trivaz picked him up from the streets. From my observations of him – I will perform a closer inspection of him later on – he seems to possess the blood of the True Dragons, my long-deceased kin. He told me he suffered a traumatic accident just before winding up near Nivix, and it seemed to have triggered his transformation."

Ral's eyes widened as thoughts began to whir through his head.

"A True Dragon? Not a drake's?" Niv-Mizzet shook his head.

"No, the scent was unmistakable. I am hoping that, through this stay in the League, I can help him – and by extension, help me – glean the nature of his being."

Ral nodded as he connected the dots in his mind. As always, the parun always found a way for the current situation to benefit him.

"One more thing…why me? I am sure there are other researchers on this project who have more time and desire to tutor him."

The red dragon turned his head to look at Ral and a sinister and…_accusing_ grin crept up his face.

"He is like you…Very. Much. Like. You."

Niv-Mizzet's glowing orange eyes bored into the researcher's own and an invisible pressure started to press him, making him sweat. At first, he was confused, but suddenly a few things started to stand out to him: the boy's lack of basic Ravnican knowledge and his unusual mannerism, Mizzet's comment about languages and change of perspective, title that the boy called him. With every realization, Ral's eyes widened in surprise, but then that surprise shifted to what could only be described as _sheer, unadulterated horror_ as he drew in every ounce of willpower he had left to not react further and cloud his thoughts.

'_He…he knows? How? HOW!?'_

Unfortunately, his growing terror did not escape the guild master's gaze. Niv-Mizzet bared his teeth and spoke in a slow, mocking drawl.

"I commend you the sheer effort you took to hide your little secret from me, but from the moment you returned here from your little _walk _all those years ago, it was – ah, how should I say it? – _plain_ as day to me. I humored you until now, but as you can see, plans change. So, tell me, Ral Zarek, do you know of what I speak?"

This was it. He was dead. The silver-streaked researcher would've normally tried to fight his way out, but against the Firemind himself, in his personal chambers? The height of folly. His knuckles were white with fear as he lowered his head and whispered:

"…yes"

He braced himself, knowing he would be stricken down and his mind would be shattered. Yet nothing came. He ever so slightly raised his head to see the dragon keeping his stare fixed on him, but nothing else. What truly threw him for a loop, however, was came out of the dragon's mouth.

"Where do your loyalties lie, Zarek?"

The researcher licked his lips, trying to answer even though disoriented. He couldn't lie now; it was obvious what would happen if he did. He took a deep breath and replied, his voice unwavering.

"My loyalty has been and forever will be to the Izzet League. What I am changes nothing in the slightest."

He raised his head and stared Mizzet down, the last vestiges of his courage holding him. The stare-off lasted a minute before the dragon let out a low chuckle.

"Good, good. This pleases me. Now, to clear up some things: because of the gift you and Shinji share, I expect that you shall both travel off Ravnica for additional training; in fact, I encourage it. It would do well for him to learn things I cannot teach him. However, as long as he is on Ravnica, you will both report directly to me, and **only** me. Keep him away from the Izmagnus and the machinations of the other members. I am not asking you to isolate him; merely keep a sharp eye out. Understand?"

Ral inwardly sighed in relief. It seems like his mind would remain intact. "I understand."

"Another I want you to do is very simple: get along with him."

"What do you mean?"

"From what he has told me, young Shinji had a rather unpleasant childhood, especially these past few months. I know the exact details, but I will withhold them from you so that the boy may tell you yourself. He is starved for companionship, and that desperation may lead to troublesome consequences. I will be his main mentor figure, but I am unsuited for social interaction of this level. I am not as dismissive of human – since he is still human in mentality – interactions as you might think; I know I cannot force you to befriend him. But at the very least, try."

Ral's fingers twitched as he adopted a pensive expression. A rather odd request, especially coming from the ever-so distant Niv-Mizzet, but he didn't see any harm in it. If the boy's ascendancy forced him to transform, the trigger event must have been very traumatizing indeed; he still had flashes of his own event sometimes. That also explained why Mizzet seemed patient with him. Besides, the kid didn't seem like a bad sort, if a little too nervous for his liking.

"As you command, my parun." The guild master nodded.

"Now then…" he said "Is there anything else you wish to tell me?"

Ral wet his lips, rubbing his hand before shaking his head. "No. I have nothing else to hide."

"Excellent. Then I am sure I do not need to repeat the _**consequences** _of lying to me again?"

"Of course not."

Niv-Mizzet chuckled. "You would do well to remember it, Zarek. You would do well…"

**-DPoI-**

The next morning, Shinji had woken up and put on his clothes when someone knocked on his door.

*Yawn* "Y-yes?"

"Are you decent?"

"Yes"

The door opened and Ral entered. He gave Shinji an appraising look and hummed. "Have you eaten yet?"

"No, I just woke up."

"I see" he muttered, and then cleared his throat. "Niv-Mizzet is expecting you in his study. Bring the books he gave you. I'll bring you some food."

With that, he exited the room.

"That was quick" muttered Shinji. Not wanting to delay his new teacher though, he grabbed the pile of books from his bedside desk and headed out the room. He went to the end of the hall where the teleporter stood and touched it, thinking of Niv-Mizzet's study. The blue mirror-like surface shimmered, and the familiar double doors appeared before him.

The teen quickly stepped through and knocked on the doors.

"Come in"

The doors opened and Shinji walked up to the older dragon.

"Good morning, Shinji. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, sensei"

"Good. Now, did you read the books I gave you?"

"Uh, yes but…" he rubbed his arm in embarrassment. "I don't really remember all of it."

"It's fine, I don't expect you to memorize everything on the first try. I will warn you though, that memorization will be an integral part of your studies, so I suggest you practice it."

"O-of course!" Niv-Mizzet smiled.

"But you have memorized some it? We shall see. What can you tell me about the five colors of mana?"

That was an easy one. It appeared routinely in all the books he was given.

"Well, the colors are red, green, white, blue and black. Each mana color is drawn from five different environments and you get a certain type of spell depending on what color you use. The environments are mountain for red, forest for green, plains for white, island for blue and swamp for black."

"Very good."

Shinji them raised his hand. "What?"

"Um…can I ask two questions?" The guild master chuckled.

"Of course, you don't need my permission to ask. If you have any question, just ask and I shall answer. You are here to learn after all."

If he was still human, Mizzet would've seen a slight blush on Shinji's face. This was a new experience; a teacher who didn't drone on or left him to fend for himself.

"Well, all of Ravnica is a city, right? So how can all the mana colors exist here? Also, the book says how every person has at least one or two colors; what did it mean by that?"

"These are excellent questions, Shinji. While it is true that Ravnica is one huge city and as such, any pure examples of the five-colored lands range from scarce to none, the plane always finds a way to find substitutions – if not for the specific environment, then for the element that it represents or the personality of the color itself. For example, this very tower is a beacon for both red and blue mana. Red because of the flames and heat that spew from the forges and machines; blue because of the steam, boilers, water pipes and the knowledge that has been amassed here for millennia."

The last example stood out to Shinji. "Knowledge?"

"Yes, knowledge, and this brings us to your second question. Each color, apart from representing an environment or element, also represents an aspect of a person's identity, and that can be manifested in which colored mana he or she can use. Blue symbolizes knowledge, curiosity and logic among other things. Keep in mind though that this rule is…rather flexible and should not be taken in full seriousness. A person who is logical, for example, isn't automatically blue. A person who _values_ logic, however, might be. If a person has two or more of these defining characteristics, then it will manifest in multiple colors."

The young dragon nodded, although he still looked confused.

"I see I shall have to show you what I mean. In fact, why don't we find out your colors right now."

Niv-Mizzet's eyes flashed blue, and a copper lantern flew from somewhere in the room and stopped in front of Shinji. It had the Izzet symbol carved on its crown, and inside was a light that glowed in five different colors.

"This is a **Chromatic Lantern**. You will see these throughout Ravnica and they are a symbol of unity amongst the guilds. If such a lantern illuminates the cobblestones, that place is considered neutral ground. In it are five samples of each mana color. What you are going to do is to try and pull at the mana inside. Whichever mana is drawn out will be your color."

"Oh," Shinji looked at the lantern with some apprehension. "How do I…pull it out?"

The parun's eyes flashed blue again and the young dragon felt something odd washing over his body. It felt like cool water, yet at the same time, it was wispy as air. As it flowed on him, he felt a strange, indescribable pull and a spark running through his insides.

A few seconds later, the sensations vanished, leaving Shinji a tad stunned before quickly shaking it off.

"Remember what you felt. Place your hands on the lantern and focus your mind on that feeling. When you feel the pull on your being, reel it in with your mind."

Shinji nodded and placed his hands of the lantern. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and waited. For several minutes, he stood there trying to grasp the mana, until he felt it; a small tugging on his palms. He imagined grabbing something in his mind, the strange sensation of the mana still echoing throughout his body.

"Yes, you've grasped it! Now, pull!"

The teen slowly drew his hands away from the lantern as he focused on the pulling sensation in his mind. He felt the mana stretch in his hands, like slippery and gooey clay.

"Open your eyes Shinji, and see the fruits of your labor."

Shinji nodded and opened his eyes to see that in his hands were two tendrils of energy that emitted a ghostly glow and were connected to the lantern. One tendril was red, and the other was blue. He cracked a smile; he did it! On the first try!

He was about to tell his sensei when he noticed that the red stream seemed to dim and what seemed to be faint green veins crawling up the tendrils and connecting to his body. _'Do I have three colors?'_

He was jolted from his thoughts when the old dragon spoke again. "Let go, Shinji. You have done well."

Shinji released the tendrils and they retreated back into the lantern. He suddenly found himself very exhausted, as though he just ran a good while. He fell to the ground panting and looked up at Niv-Mizzet, who just smiled at him.

"Excellent, excellent progress, Shinji. I had no doubt you could do it. On your first try too."

"Y-yes" replied Shinji, panting as he spoke. "I didn't think I could do it but" –

"But you did" the guild master said, cutting him off. "Never doubt yourself, Shinji. Doubt makes you weaker. Your determination makes you stronger. Those fools in your home plane never saw your potential, but I do."

The former pilot blushed from the praise. "T-thank you sensei."

The two were interrupted by the sound of the doors opening. Standing in the doorway was Ral, holding a tray of pastries and a steaming cup.

"Ral, you are just in time. Shinji here discovered his colors and as you can see, it has left him rather exhausted. I think a nice meal will freshen him up." The researcher raised an eyebrow as he walked towards the pair.

"Already? What are they?" he asked as he handed a pastry to Shinji, who scarfed it down.

"His colors are red and blue, with a stronger inclination towards the latter. With those colors, he was practically destined to join the League. Not only that, but he also has a small affiliation for green mana."

Ral stared at the teen with surprise. "Three colors? That's a surprise. But why those?"

"That is an interesting question and – Shinji, please stop eating for a moment and listen – I believe that one of his colors are a result of outside influences: namely, the red one. When he transformed, I am guessing his new draconic nature – the red mana – overpowered his green mana, but not entirely. Changes can be made to someone's color as a result of their environment, or even a change in personality, but that one is rather drastic."

Ral and Shinji nodded in understanding.

"I will find you some way to learn green spells and if not, I am sure you can find a way yourself. However, do not try any new spell without knowing with certainty what it does, understand?"

"Yes, sensei."

"Good. In addition," the parun gestured to the researcher with his claw "Ral here will be your tutor whenever I am unavailable or during tasks that require you to leave the halls of Nivix. He is also a planeswalker, so he is the best choice for your secondary tutor." Shinji gasped in surprise.

"You're a planeswalker too? Does that mean you've been to other planes?"

While the memory of his secret being found and the threat Niv-Mizzet delivered to him remained very strongly in his head, Ral couldn't help but smile at the kid's curiosity. "Yes, I have. Those were quite the times."

"Oh, that reminds me." The researcher's eyes widened and he snapped his fingers. He then spoke again, but his tone was graver.

"Do not tell anyone else outside this room that you are a planeswalker, unless you meet another one. Believe me, that kind of attention is not something either of us want to have."

Shinji nodded. People might think him insane, or worse, try and kill him; even he had a hard time believing it at first.

"Also, I take it that you've noticed that you had no trouble reading the books you were given?"

The young dragon looked at the books in surprise and indeed, despite them not being written in Japanese, he did. Niv-Mizzet _did _say that he would be able to read them though.

"This is because every planeswalker possesses the ability to speak and read nearly any language regardless of the plane they are in, with the exceptions being extinct or magical ones. What we are speaking now is most likely not the language of your home plane."

'_Oh, well that's convenient, but it makes sense. I mean, there's no way two separate univ - er, planes would have the same language,' _thought Shinji.

"But…I still hear myself speaking Japanese sometimes."

"Japanese? Is that your home language?"

Shinji nodded. "Again, you are speaking the common Ravnican tongue, not translating it from…Japanese. You can still write and talk in your native tongue."

Niv-Mizzet cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the two. "As intriguing as this conversation is, the day is still young and we still have a lot to cover. Once your studies have progressed enough, Ral will take you on your first trip to another plane, so do not fret. For now, be patient."

Shinji let a toothed smile show on his face. He had only been here for a couple of days, yet he seemed to enjoy life here more than he ever did back in his hometown or Tokyo-3. He had people who didn't treat him like a tool, gave him food and a place to stay, and were even teaching him _magic_ of all things! For now, all thoughts of his former friends and the Angel wars were pushed to the back of his mind. For the first time in his life…he felt like he actually belonged somewhere.

"I swear to you sensei, I won't let you down."

* * *

**Hi! I'm back! I have no excuses here, except for lack of knowledge, schedules, and laziness. I've played a lot of MTG Arena and read some of the stories on WotC, so I've gained a lot more knowledge lorewise, although headcanons should still be expected. For example, here Niv-Mizzet reveals to Ral Zarek that he knows about planeswalkers earlier than canon, so that will have consequences. Currently, we are in the Return to Ravnica part of the storyline and I intend to go all the way up to War of the Spark.**

**I want to give a shout-out to CrimsonPyre for helping me with this chapter, and go check out his fanfics; they're amazing.**

**Go check out my other stories on FF.Net (Same username with a space) and the challenges on my bio if you want more!**

**Read and Review!**

* * *

**Custom Card of the Chapter:**

**Name: **Mana Test

**Mana cost: **3

**Types: **Sorcery

**Card text: **If you control two or more nonland permanents; activate one of these effects, depending on the highest number amongst the colored mana costs on your nonland permanents. (Ex. If you control permanents with 1UU and 2UW, it means U is the highest)  
\- Blue: Draw two cards.  
\- Red: Deal 3 damage to any target.  
\- Green: Target creature you control gains +2/+2 and trample until the end of this turn.  
\- White: You gain 4 life.  
\- Black: Your opponent discards two cards.


End file.
